Cumulus
by daeana
Summary: My interpretation of KOTOR, dealing with a rather sarcastic female main character. Spoilers for the entire game ahead.
1. Endar Spire

Cumulus By daeana  
  
Summary: This is my interpretation of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, dealing with a female main character. Spoilers for the entire game ahead.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Star Wars universe. In this story, the only thing I own is the main character, her wacky thoughts, and the dialogue and plotlines that are not straight out of the game.  
  
I was rudely awakened by a loud crash. Sitting up in bed, I looked around to try to determine the source of the noise. The room shook violently.  
  
My brain defogged as I woke up. Where was I? It was clear that I was on a ship, but what ship? From the size of my quarters, the second bed, and the fact that the only storage space I could see consisted of footlockers, I figured that I wasn't one of the higher ranking people on the ship, as they probably would not have to share quarters, especially quarters this small, and they may have real drawers. I noted the overturned table in the corner and decided that had been the source of the noise. Getting out of bed, I looked down and noticed that I apparently slept in my underwear and socks. I pulled my hair back into a ponytail as I headed towards the corner, debating whether I should fix the table or overturn everything else so nothing else would make any more noise.  
  
The room shook again as the door whooshed open and a rather pale, panicked man ran through. "We've been ambushed by a Sith battle fleet! The Endar Spire is under attack! Hurry up - we don't have much time!"  
  
Deducing that the Endar Spire was the rapidly disintegrating ship around me, I asked the next logical question. "Who are you?"  
  
"I'm Trask Ulgo, ensign with the Republic Fleet. I'm your bunk mate here on the Endar Spire. We work opposite shifts; I guess that's why you haven't seen me before. Now hurry up, we have to find Bastila. We have to make sure she makes it off the ship alive!"  
  
I absentmindedly pondered Republic Fleet regulations that stuck me with a male roommate, who, to be fair, either had been very recently assigned to this room or was the neatest man ever, while I formed my next question. "Who's Bastila?"  
  
"Bastila's the commanding officer on the Endar Spire." He frowned, correcting himself almost as an afterthought. "Well, not an officer, really. But she's the one in charge of this mission." Getting back to business, he continued. "One of our primary duties is to guarantee her survival in the event of enemy attack. You swore an oath just like everyone else on this mission. Now it's time to make good on that oath." I didn't remember taking this oath, or really doing anything else ever, and wondered why he felt the need to point this out to me. "I heard what everyone's saying about you: you've explored the farthest reaches of the galaxy, you've visited planets I've never even heard of. People with your skills and abilities are hard to find; it's no wonder the Republic recruited you for this mission." Ah, so apparently I was very talented. "But now's the time to prove yourself. I know you're a scout and not a soldier, but Bastila needs all troops at her side during this attack."  
  
Since I was apparently bound by an oath, it seemed logical that the best course of action was to cooperate. "Ok, let's go help Bastila."  
  
Looking increasingly impatient, Trask shifted his weight between his feet. "So hurry up and grab your gear."  
  
I decided that the footlocker closer to my bed would be the one with my gear, so I turned towards it and opened it. Inside were what I assumed were my preferred weapons, a blaster pistol and a short sword, a few medpacs, and clothing. Holding the clothing up, I grimaced. THIS was what I usually wore? I'd rather run around the ship naked.  
  
Between the room shaking again and Trask's growing urgency, I decided I'd do just that. Getting dressed now would just be a waste of time anyway. Besides, running around mostly naked might distract any Sith who may have boarded. Shoving everything, including the clothing, messily into a backpack, I turned to him. "Ok."  
  
He looked momentarily taken aback by my choice not to get dressed, but the room shook again and he immediately turned towards the door. "Okay, let's move out. We should stick together. Because of the attack this room is in lockdown, but don't worry, I've got the override codes." If the room was in lockdown, how did he get in? And how were we supposed to get to the escape pods if we were locked in during an attack? Who came up with that genius protocol? I was starting to hate my brain. Fortunately, Trask was able to open the door.  
  
A voice suddenly came out of the device on my wrist, which I had previously assumed was a chronometer. "This is Carth Onasi. The Sith are threatening to overrun our position. We can't hold out long against their firepower. All hands to the bridge!"  
  
Trask immediately explained things to me. "That was Carth contacting us on our portable communicators. He's one of the Republic's best pilots. He's seen more combat than the rest of the Endar Spire's crew put together. If he says things are bad, you better believe it. We have to get to the bridge to help defend Bastila!" The man was a walking tutorial.  
  
I decided to mimic his impatience. "Let's move out." I headed down the hall.  
  
He looked concerned, and pointed at the next door. "That door's locked, and I don't have the codes to open it."  
  
Fascinating. How did he get in? I walked up to the door and looked at the locking mechanism. Without thinking, I reached out and picked the lock.  
  
The door opened, allowing us to witness two Sith kill a Republic soldier. Trask was not amused. "These Sith must be the advance boarding party." He grabbed his blaster and started firing at them. "For the Republic!"  
  
THAT was his battle cry? Great. He was also a walking propaganda machine. I found my blaster and started firing at them too. Fortunately, they had even worse aim than I did, probably due to their helmets, so it was a pretty easy fight.  
  
Trask turned to me and continued his endless commentary. "I've got a feeling that won't be our last battle with the Sith."  
  
I agreed. He was right. In the next room, we ran into two more Sith, with approximately the same amount of fighting ability as the first two. Noting a footlocker in the room, I headed immediately towards it. I found a combat suit and more swords in it. I sneaked a glance at Trask. He was rummaging through the backpacks on the Sith corpses, and looked rather busy. I looked back at the combat suit I was holding, and considered putting it on. Despite the continuous explosions on the ship, life support systems were beginning to fail, and the ship was starting to get cold. Slithering into the combat suit, I admired its adherence to my body.  
  
I turned around to find Trask looking at me in surprise. Apparently he had expected me to continue being mostly naked. In the next corridor, I counted four Sith fighting three Republic soldiers. Well, two Republic soldiers, I amended, as one fell over. One of the Sith ran up to the two remaining soldiers and pulled a vibroblade. As I pointed my blaster at the Sith and prepared to fire, I was surprised to see Trask put a hand over mine and shake his head. I looked at him in confusion. He tilted his head and indicated that I should just wait and watch. Which ended up being a good decision, as the Sith decided to lob a grenade at the Republic soldiers and killed both of them along with the Sith fighting them. Then they noticed us.  
  
After the fight, we went through their packs and grabbed some more supplies. Opening the next door, Trask gasped and kept me from going through the door. A Jedi and a dark Jedi were dueling with lightsabers. "It's a dark Jedi! This fight is too much for us. We better stay back. All we'd do is get in the way."  
  
I watched, pondering the scientific issues of lightsabers. The Jedi finally got the upper hand and killed the dark Jedi, but was immediately killed by an explosion from behind. I admired their lightsaber design, which extinguished the moment the handle was released.  
  
Trask was unhappy again. "That was one of the Jedi accompanying Bastila. Damn, we could have used her help."  
  
Blasting a few more incompetent Sith, we arrived at the bridge. Trask muttered something about using melee weapons and pulled out a short sword, so I followed suit. Fortunately, we only had to fight two Sith before an explosion took out everyone else on the bridge.  
  
Looking increasingly panicked, Trask ran over and checked all the bodies. He turned to me, relieved. "Bastila's not here on the bridge. They must have retreated to the escape pods."  
  
He led me towards the starboard section of the ship. As we passed a door, he stopped. Staring at the door, he walked towards it, almost magnetically drawn. "There's something behind here." The door opened and proved him right. "Damn – another Dark Jedi! I'll try to hold him off, you get to the escape pods! Go!"  
  
I opened my mouth to comment, but he had already closed the door behind him. I sighed. It figured that the walking Republic tutorial would be a martyr. I had no time to think any further, as my wrist spoke to me again.  
  
"This is Carth Onasi on your personal communicator. I'm tracking your position through the Endar Spire's life support systems. Bastila's escape pod is away. You're the last surviving crew member of the Endar Spire. I can't wait for you much longer; you have to get to the escape pods!"  
  
I managed to dispatch a bunch of Sith on my own before he spoke to me again.  
  
"Be careful! There's a whole squad of Sith Troopers on the other side of that door. You need to find some way to thin their numbers. You could reprogram the damaged assault droid to help you, if you have enough repair parts. Or you could use computer spikes to slice into the terminal and use the Endar Spire's security systems against the Sith." He was just a bundle of suggestions. Why didn't he do something?  
  
I decided to fix the droid. It woke up, headed towards the door, and proceeded to kill the entire Sith squad. I waited around the corner until the firing stopped, then went into the next room and started looting, finding a neat vibroblade on the squad leader.  
  
Going through the next door, I ran into a man wearing a blindingly orange coat. This must be Carth. "You made it just in time. There's only one active escape pod left. Come on, we can hide out on the planet below!"  
  
I looked at him suspiciously. He had been tracking me through the ship, but he had never done anything to help me, such as dealing with any Sith for me, so I was concerned. "How do I know I can trust you?"  
  
He almost rolled his eyes at me, but fortunately his military discipline kicked in. "I'm a soldier with the Republic, like you. We're the last two crew members left on the Endar Spire. Bastila's escape pod's already gone, so there's no reason for us to stick around here and get shot by the Sith. Now come on - there'll be time for questions later!"  
  
I turned toward the last remaining escape pod and frowned. Apparently I was claustrophobic, because just the thought of getting into the pod filled me with great dread.  
  
The ship shook, reminding me that we were about to die a horrible fiery death if I didn't swallow my anxiety and get into the damn pod, so I climbed into it and allowed Carth to control it. I probably shouldn't have. The pod shot loose from the Endar Spire and spun uncontrollably towards the planet below. The last thing I remember was looking up and seeing a giant fireball in the sky, presumably the destruction of the Endar Spire. Then the pod hit something, my head hit something else, and it was dark. 


	2. Taris: Upper City

Thanks everyone for the reviews.  
  
Arrikazza: yay, my first review. =) I'm glad you like my character, because she's, well, me. Most of her commentary comes from what I said when I played the game, which typically amused my bf deeply.  
  
Prisoner 24601: yay, I'm a favorite!! Thanks!! =) I got the idea of running around in the underwear when I read the armor description of clothing; it says that (essentially) it's defensively worthless but protects the modesty of the wearer. Ok, so what if the wearer HAS no modesty? =) I have to admit that Taris is turning out a bit longer than I expected, but I've already chosen to skip a lot of stuff (and I will continue to skip lots of stuff), so hopefully it doesn't get too long. Ideally, you'll be amused enough by the commentary that you won't notice the length. =)  
  
Gollo: I'm glad you like it. =) I hadn't planned on writing in first person until I realized that I wanted to concentrate on the thought processes of the character, and writing in third person would've been too cumbersome (i.e. and then she wondered this, and pondered that, and considered this, and thought about that, etc.)  
  
debbie-l-g: Thanks. =) Although it was always clear that the Endar Spire level was a tutorial, if you think about it from a reality perspective, a lot of it just makes no sense, and I wanted to express that with a cynical, skeptical, humorous tone.

* * *

I was dreaming. Or maybe having a vision. I really didn't know the difference. A young female Jedi armed with a yellow lightsaber was fighting what I assume was a dark Jedi, who was masked, armed with a red lightsaber, which appeared to be the standard for dark Jedi. They were pretty evenly matched, until the dark Jedi stumbled, probably tripping on something, and the Jedi got in a good shot.  
  
I woke up confused. Again. This was getting old. Sitting up in bed again, I looked around. My eyes fell on Carth, who look overwhelmingly relieved to see me awake. "Good to see you up, instead of thrashing around in your sleep. You must have been having one hell of a nightmare. I was wondering if you were ever going to wake up. I'm Carth, one of the Republic soldiers from the Endar Spire. I was with you on the escape pod, do you remember?"  
  
Well, he was just as talkative as before. "Carth, the one on the communicator. I remember."  
  
He continued talking. "Well, you've been slipping in and out of consciousness for a couple of days now, so I imagine you're pretty confused about things. We're safe, at least for the moment. We're in an abandoned apartment on Taris. You were banged up pretty bad when our escape pod crashed, but luckily I wasn't seriously hurt." I wondered how that had happened. Did he have a pillow behind his head, or did he land on me? Next time, I was driving. Or at least pretending to. "I was able to drag you away from our crash site in all the confusion, and I stumbled onto this abandoned apartment. By the time the Sith arrived on the scene we were long gone." As he talked, I experimentally stretched, flexed, and rotated various body parts to determine damage. I found that my left shoulder hurt, but nothing else.  
  
Wait, I've been unconscious for a couple of days? Exactly how many was "a couple" anyway? Did he consider trying to get me medical attention? And more importantly, did he feed me? I was starving. I decided that I had to get food soon, before my stomach ate itself and all my other organs. But first, I should thank him for not leaving me behind. "I guess I owe you my life."  
  
He really did not like that statement at all. "You don't have to thank me. I've never abandoned anyone on a mission, and I'm not about to start now." His voice softened somewhat as he spoke. I would have to ask him about this later, when my brain was clearer. "Taris is under Sith control. Their fleet is orbiting the planet, they've declared martial law and they've imposed a planet-wide quarantine. But I've been in worse spots." Oh, good, soldier bravado. Just what I needed. "I saw on your service records that you understand a remarkable number of alien languages. That's pretty rare in a raw recruit, but it should come in handy while we're stranded on a foreign world." My apparent talents were greater than I had thought. That was nice to know. Predicting my next question, he kept talking. "There's no way the Republic will be able to get anyone through the Sith blockade to help us. If we're going to find Bastila and get off this planet, we can't rely on anybody but ourselves."  
  
Great, another Bastila fan. Who was she anyway? "Why is it so important to find Bastila?"  
  
He almost snorted. "That smack to your head did more damage than I thought. Bastila's a Jedi. She was with the strike team that killed Darth Revan, Malak's Sith master." Malak? Revan? Who were these people? I added that to my list of things to find out later. I didn't want to ask too many questions at once.  
  
"How can one person, even a Jedi, be so important?"  
  
He launched into lecture mode. Did the Republic train all their soldiers to talk like this? "Bastila is no ordinary Jedi. She has a rare gift the Jedi call Battle Meditation. It can influence entire armies. Of course, there are limits to what she can do. But from what I understand of her ability, it requires great concentration and focus to maintain her Battle Meditation. The attack on the Endar Spire happened so fast she probably never even had a chance to use her power. I'm guessing she barely got out alive, and now she's trapped here just as we are." He sounded very uncertain about his explanation of Battle Meditation, so I figured he didn't understand it at all.  
  
I asked the next logical question. "How do you even know Bastila's alive?"  
  
He looked annoyed by my pessimism. "I don't. But Bastila's young, and she has a powerful command of the Force. We survived the crash landing, so I'm willing to bet that she may have, too."  
  
I sighed. He was going to pester me to death if I didn't help. "So what do you suggest we do next?"  
  
"Bastila's going to need our help. Many of Darth Malak's followers can use the dark side of the Force, and the Sith have already killed more than their share of Jedi in this war. Nobody will be looking for a couple of common soldiers like us." Despite my amazing talents, I was just a common soldier. "And if we're careful we can move about the planet without attracting notice; a luxury Bastila won't have. She's going to have half the Sith fleet looking for her. They know how important she is to the war effort. So if Bastila's going to escape Taris, she's going to need our help. And we'll probably need hers."  
  
Trying to ignore the pessimism that told me Bastila had already been captured by someone, I looked around the apartment. There was a slight moldy smell permeating the place, which I guessed was widespread throughout the complex. Walking to the window, I looked outside and noticed a distinct sadness to the city. Nothing looked new; everything seemed old and worn and tired, even the people. I didn't want to be here for long. It looked entirely too depressing. "If it means getting off this planet, I guess I can help you find Bastila."  
  
The fountain of information and lecturing continued. "Good. We need to work together if we're going to survive. While you were out I did some scouting around." I wondered what would have happened had I woken up while he was out. "There are reports of a couple escape pods crashing down into the Undercity. That's probably a good place to start. But the Undercity is a dangerous place. We don't want to go in there unprepared. It won't do Bastila any good if we go and get ourselves killed."  
  
Dying was not high on my list of things to do. Eating and gaining some sort of memory, however, were. "The sooner we start looking for Bastila the sooner we find her. Let's go. Besides, I'm starved. I probably haven't eaten in days. What passes for food around here?"  
  
He looked ashamed. "I'm sorry, I didn't know how to feed you, and I didn't have any intravenous nutrient packs around. I was afraid that getting medical help would result in unwanted attention, so I just kept an eye on you and hoped for the best. I've been eating the rations that were in the escape pod, but I don't think you'll want those, so we should find real food." He cleared his throat and became a soldier again. "We can use this abandoned apartment as a base, and we can probably get some equipment and supplies here in the Upper City. Just remember to keep a low profile. I figure if we don't do anything stupid we should be okay. I mean, after all, they're looking for Bastila, not a couple of grunts like us."  
  
I frowned. Given what Trask had told me about Carth, it seemed odd that he was so self-deprecating. Making even more mental notes to investigate these things later, and knowing that I'd probably forget these mental notes very quickly, I headed towards the refresher to clean up. Between smelling that I needed it and being able to see dried blood on myself, I didn't want to risk being unable to procure food. A few minutes later, I was clean. The combat suit, however, was hopeless, at least for now. I left it soaking in the sink. Realizing that running around Taris in my underwear could be very bad, I sighed and walked back out into the apartment, enjoying Carth's surprise at seeing my lack of outfit. He had dropped my backpack near the bed, so I reached into it and pulled out the horrible clothing I had found in my footlocker. There was just no way I would be able to wear that vest, so I settled for the pants and the shirt. After slipping into my horrible outfit, I informed him that I was ready to leave. We had better leave before I changed my mind.  
  
Upon leaving the apartment, we were greeted by the wonderful sight of a pair of Duros being harassed by a Sith patrol. In his native language, which I was surprised and slightly disturbed to understand, one of the Duros complained about the presence of the Sith, and wound up dead for his trouble. When the patrol noticed us and deduced that we were Republic, the other Duros had enough presence of mind to help us attack them.  
  
What happened after the fight disturbed me the most. Although he promised to move the bodies such that they looked like they were killed elsewhere, thus hopefully protecting us and him, it was what he said first that saddened me. He commented that his friend never should have talked back to the Sith. His sense of futility, his lack of spirit, and his general weariness bothered me. Wishing him luck, I had to turn away from him.  
  
Between the credits we picked off the Sith corpses and the credits we found in the next few rooms, I figured we could at least buy me a meal. Carth could keep eating rations for all I cared. However, Carth miraculously produced a bunch of credits out of a pocket. When I asked him where he got them from, he pointed at a Twi'lek standing in the hallway. Apparently he was a merchant, and Carth had sold some of our extra equipment to him. Well, now Carth could eat real food too, if he wanted. I wondered if I had any pick-pocketing abilities I had yet to discover; that could help a whole lot as well.  
  
We left the apartment complex and headed into the Upper City. There was a crashed escape pod just outside the complex, which I assumed was the one we had so happily arrived in. Carth pointed us straight south, where he said there was a cantina. Which was very creatively named, as the sign outside simply said "Upper City Cantina".  
  
Walking into the cantina, we were greeted by a large table. I frowned, not knowing what it was, and turned to Carth, who looked annoyingly thoughtful. "What?"  
  
He motioned at the table. "It's a pazaak table."  
  
"A who table?"  
  
He looked at me in surprise. "You've never heard of pazaak?"  
  
I shrugged. Taking a big risk, I replied, "I'm not much of a gambler."  
  
He chuckled. Apparently that was the right response. "Well, if you're good, it's a good way to make some quick money."  
  
I rolled my eyes at him. I did not enjoy gambling, and I really did not want to spend any time doing so. "Well, you can do that as I go find food." I left him talking to some old guy named Garouk who wanted to give up gambling as I headed towards the bar. The bartender handed me a menu and pointed me towards a side room so I could sit down and order.  
  
An annoying voice came at me. "Where did you get those clothes, a trash compactor in the Lower City? And where are those drinks we ordered?"  
  
I looked around, trying to find the source of the horrible noise, and found an overdressed girl sitting with a few similarly overdressed friends. "Who are you and why are you bossing me around?"  
  
She did not look amused. How nice for her. "Why is the help here so incompetent? One word from Daddy and I could get you fired!"  
  
I'd like to see her get me fired from a place I didn't work. That should be absolutely fascinating. Feeling the need to kill off some of her annoyance and arrogance, I snapped at her. "Shut up, you spoiled brat!"  
  
She looked like she was going to cry. "How dare you speak to me like that! Daddy's going to hear about this!" With that, she and her friends ran out of the cantina.  
  
Finally, some peace. I sat down at the table they had just vacated and glanced at the menu. Counting on the hope that Carth had enough mental capacity not to lose too much of our money, I ordered soup, salad, bread, an appetizer, two entrées, and a drink for myself. That didn't seem like too much, given that I hadn't eaten in a couple days. He could order his own food later if he wanted.  
  
The server had just left when a rather slimy man walked by and sat down. "Hi there. I haven't seen you around before. Of course they don't give us Sith officers from the military base much time off."  
  
Hoping he wasn't here to steal my food, I responded as minimally and politely as possible. "You're from the military base? You don't look like one of the Sith."  
  
He attempted a winning smile and failed miserably. "I'm off duty right now, so I'm not in uniform. My name is Yun Genda, junior officer first class with the Sith occupation force."  
  
This guy was absolutely priceless. I couldn't help but play along. "Nice to meet you. I'm Shara."  
  
He looked like he was about to die from happiness. "I'm actually a little surprised you're talking to me at all. Most of the people here on Taris can't stand us Sith. It can make this a pretty lonely job."  
  
I stopped myself from rolling my eyes, shaking my head, or otherwise expressing my disbelief. Was he naturally this dumb, or did he have to try? "You can't really blame people. After all, you did conquer the planet."  
  
"Oh, great. I see where this is going. The Sith are evil, why did I join them, blah, blah, blah. I don't need a lecture from the likes of you."  
  
"You seem pretty touchy about this. Maybe you feel a little guilty about what you do." His response to this should be fun.  
  
Well, I was right. "Don't try to analyze me. I'm just doing my job, same as any other soldier in any other army. Besides, I don't have to explain myself to you!" With that, he stormed away from my table.  
  
I shook my head and muttered after him. "Try a better sales pitch next time."  
  
Fortunately, the server chose that moment to start bringing my food. I was halfway through my second entrée when Carth found me and sat down, positively glowing. As he proudly showed off his winnings, which, to be fair, essentially quadrupled our savings, I shoved the menu at him, telling him between bites what I had ordered and how delicious it was. He quirked an eyebrow at me, indicating that perhaps my enjoyment of the food was directly proportional to how long it had been since my last meal. I frowned, realizing that I didn't remember ever having eaten anything before.  
  
Wondering if I even had any friends, I decided to test out Carth's friendship ability. "I'd like to know some more about you, Carth."  
  
He looked shocked. "Me? Well, I've been a star-pilot for the Republic for years. I've seen more than my share of wars. I fought in the Mandalorian Wars before all this started. But with all that, I've never experienced anything like the slaughter these Sith animals can unleash." His voice started to rise. Not wanting Yun to come back, I motioned to him to keep his voice down. Understanding that we were surrounded by Sith soldiers, he complied and kept his voice to an angry whisper. "Not even the Mandalorians were that senseless. My home world was one of the first planets to fall to Malak's fleet. The Sith bombed it into submission, and there wasn't a damn thing our Republic forces could do to stop them!" His voice was back up.  
  
I had to calm him down before they Sith tried to kill us. Besides, he was the one who kept telling me to keep a low profile. "Calm down. I was just asking."  
  
He sighed, looking almost apologetic. "You're the one who wanted to know more about me. Well this is it, this is what I am. I'm just a soldier; I go where the fleet Admirals tell me to. I follow my orders and I do my duty. It just doesn't seem right that doing that means I failed them. I didn't!"  
  
Ok, he clearly had issues surrounding this. This conversation needed to end quickly, before we drew attention. We were rather lucky that the band was loud enough to muffle his outbursts. "Hey, why are you getting so mad at me? It's not like this was my fault!"  
  
"I know that. I'm not angry at you. Don't think that. I must not be making much sense. You probably mean well with your questions. I'm just not accustomed to talking about my past very much. At all, actually. I'm more used to taking action and keeping my mind focused on the business at hand. So let's just do that. If you have more questions, ask them later."  
  
Good idea. We should eat in peace. An argument would lead to major indigestion or something.  
  
As we left the cantina, we were attacked by two Rodian thugs, who were apparently hired by the annoying overdressed girl from the cantina. However, they were even worse fighters than the Sith, so Carth and I dispatched them with no trouble at all. The girl ran away sobbing, yelling for her daddy. Unable to resist, I yelled after her. "Tell him to hire better thugs next time! You know, with all that money, it shouldn't be too hard!"  
  
Carth managed to transform his chuckle into a cough. We decided to keep exploring the Upper City, so he pointed me towards the medical clinic. Which was good; I could get the doctor to check out my shoulder.  
  
We walked into the clinic and were greeted by a friendly, weary old man. "I see from your appearance that you are an off-worlder. Still, you are welcome here. I'll not have it said that Zelka Forn refused to help somebody just because they weren't a citizen of Taris."  
  
For some reason, I liked him. His spirit didn't seem as broken as so many others on the planet. I asked him to look at my shoulder for me, and as he gathered equipment and settled me down, he started chatting. His mind seemed to be continuously on something he called rakghoul disease, which grabbed my curiousity. "Tell me about the rakghoul disease."  
  
I cringed as he swung my arm experimentally while he responded. "The terrible affliction has plagued Taris for many generations. It is spread by the rakghouls, horrible monsters that live in the Undercity below Taris' great skyscrapers. Prolonged exposure to the Undercity breeds the disease and those infected will eventually mutate into rakghouls themselves, becoming mindless beasts that feed on the flesh of others. There is no antidote for the disease, though I heard the Republic scientists at the military base here on Taris were close to perfecting a cure. Then the Sith arrived. They overran the military base and now they refuse to allow anyone access to the laboratories inside. The Sith are keeping all the serum for the patrols they send into the Undercity. If I could just get my hands on a sample of that serum the rakghoul disease could be wiped from the face of Taris forever. But I don't see how that's going to happen."  
  
I wondered where these rakghouls had come from to start with, but decided against asking about that. Still, it seemed to me that not finding the cure to this disease would be the one thing that would finally break his spirit, so I said the next logical thing. "Maybe I could find a way to get my hands on that serum for you."  
  
He started running some sort of device over my shoulder. Some sort of miraculous device, as the pain ceased almost immediately. "I don't see how anyone could get their hands on the serum. The military base is crawling with Sith guards. Breaking in there would be a suicide mission. I suppose the Sith patrols in the Undercity might have a sample of the serum on them, if they hadn't already used it because of a rakghoul infection. But I doubt a patrol would just hand the serum over. And nobody's stupid enough to attack one of the Sith patrols, even in the Undercity." Sounded like a challenge to me.  
  
After terrifying him with a promise that I'd find the serum for him, I moved my shoulder experimentally to find that it felt perfectly fine. Thanking him, I hopped off the table and headed to where Carth was standing, in the back of the clinic facing a locked door. He was staring at it, almost mesmerized. Curious, I asked him what was so interesting, as all I could see was a plain, boring-looking locked door. He murmured something about how it felt important, then said something about wanting to look. Sighing, I reached over and picked the lock.  
  
Zelka ran over in a panic upon hearing the door open. "What are you doing? Don't go in there! That door is for employees only!"  
  
Carth was staring into the room, unable to respond, so I had to. "What's going on here?" I asked, gesturing at the people floating in tanks.  
  
"Nothing. This isn't your concern. Just forget you saw anything, okay?"  
  
From his panic, his compassion, and Carth's speechlessness, I guessed that these were Republic soldiers he was trying to hide from the Sith. "We're friends of the Republic. You can trust us."  
  
He looked somewhat convinced, probably due to Carth walking up to the tanks and staring into them almost reverently. "I guess I can tell you what's going on. I only hope the Sith don't find out what I've done. Since the space battle overhead, people have been secretly bringing in these Republic soldiers who crash landed on the planet. I had to take them in. What choice did I have? Their injuries are terrible, most won't survive. But at least I can make their last days more comfortable. And at least here they are hidden away from the Sith."  
  
Carth finally found his voice. "Well, for that you have my thanks. It's good to know that at least some of these men ended up in compassionate hands."  
  
Zelka's terror returned. "I hate to imagine what the Sith would do if they discovered these soldiers here. But since their initial questioning the Sith have not returned, so it may be my fears are unfounded."  
  
Carth responded before I could. "Is there anything we can do to help?"  
  
Well, that depressed Zelka. "I'm afraid there is nothing more anyone can do for these soldiers." Turning away from us, he walked back towards the front of the clinic. After re-locking the door, Carth and I followed to leave.  
  
And then we were stopped by Zelka's slimy worthless assistant. I should suggest that he get more medical droids. "I need to talk to you about the rakghoul serum. I've got an offer for you that you might want to hear."  
  
I sighed. "An offer? What are you talking about?"  
  
"Zelka isn't the only one who wants to get his hands on the rakghoul serum. Davik Kang will pay you ten times what Zelka can if you can get the cure."  
  
I already knew the answer to this question, but I had to hear it from him to be sure. "Why do you care who gets the cure?"  
  
"Look, Zelka can't afford to pay me much. If you sell the serum to Davik, I can probably get a nice finder's fee for directing you to him."  
  
I figured as much. I wanted to leave now. "I'll keep your offer in mind."  
  
Unfortunately, Carth decided to comment. "And then only the rich could afford the cure. Just let the poor suffer, right?"  
  
The guy snorted. "If you find the rakghoul serum, just take it to Zax in the Lower City bounty office." I don't think so, buddy. Can I leave yet?  
  
Fortunately, he stopped talking long enough for Carth and me to escape. Not that we went anywhere good. The first thing we ran into was a pair of bounty hunters harassing a merchant, who owed Davik money. It was becoming clear to me that Davik was one of the local crime lords, if not THE local crime lord. Must be a pleasant man.  
  
The merchant was looking around frantically, searching for someone to help him. Upon seeing us, he, like so many other Tarisians, realized that we were off-worlders and therefore most likely to help him, so of course he called out to us. Wonderful. And of course the bounty hunters weren't appreciative of witnesses, so now we had a fight on our hands.  
  
This planet just doesn't have any good fighters, does it? The merchant started thanking us profusely, then gave us a short life story, and finally started begging for money. What a sales pitch. I closed my eyes so he couldn't see me rolling them, then looked down at the bodies of the bounty hunters we had just killed. Given their jobs, I figured they had money on them. I bent down and rifled through their packs, and found the 100 credits the merchant was begging us for. He thanked us profusely, then ran off in absolute joy. I shook my head. This planet was just unbelievable.  
  
I looked up to see another apartment complex. Since our current apartment complex was right next to our crashed escape pod, it seemed logical to me that the Sith would search for us there, if they were searching for Republic people at all. So perhaps we should search for a secondary apartment, either instead of our current one or as a backup plan. I explained all of this to Carth while I pulled him into the complex. The Upper City was apparently short on creativity, as this had pretty much the exact same layout as our complex. It even smelled the same.  
  
As we walked around looking for more abandoned apartments, we saw a Sith trooper standing in a doorway. Upon seeing us, he immediately said, "Just move along. There's nothing to see here."  
  
Right, like that wasn't suspicious.  
  
From within the apartment, I heard another Sith voice. "Where did you hide those Sith uniforms? Did you sell them to the Tarisian underground? Start talking. I want answers!"  
  
A voice answered in an alien language I somehow understood. "Please, I'm only a visitor to Taris, trapped here by your quarantine. I know nothing about the Tarisian underground or your missing Sith uniforms!" He put a good desperate tone to his answer, but it was clear to me that he was knew about both the underground and the missing uniforms, and I assumed it was clear to the Sith interrogator as well.  
  
Since I hadn't actually done what the trooper had asked, he was starting to get annoyed. "You're a little too curious for your own good, civilian. This doesn't concern you."  
  
Carth looked very worried. "I know all about Sith interrogations. This isn't going to end well."  
  
The Sith interrogator was also running short on patience. It was apparently a common trait among the Sith. I wonder if the Sith hired people based on their impatience level. "I'm getting sick of your lies, you alien scum. We got your ugly mug on a security tape from the base. Start talking before I splatter your slimy brains all over this room." Wasn't that wonderfully descriptive. I'm glad he learned imagery at some point.  
  
The trooper in the hall attempted, and failed miserably, to be funny and scary. "I think the commander's losing his temper. I'm glad I'm out here. It took me an hour to clean the blood stains from my uniform after the last interrogation." He glanced at me and Carth. "Just stay out of this, if you know what's good for you."  
  
I couldn't help myself. "How exactly does killing the witness help the investigation?"  
  
Before the trooper could yell at me, the commander's patience died. "This is your last chance: where did you hide those uniforms you stole?"  
  
Recognizing his death sentence, the alien kept trying. "I swear I don't know what you mean."  
  
That was the wrong answer.  
  
As he fell over, the commander turned to the trooper in the apartment and beckoned to the one near us. "Search the room. I know those uniforms are in here somewhere."  
  
"Uniforms," I muttered to myself. There had to be a good reason for the Tarisian underground to steal Sith uniforms.  
  
The trooper was running out of patience, but his paranoia was increasing. "You're awfully curious about this. I think you know more about those missing uniforms than you're saying."  
  
I rolled my eyes. I seemed to do that a lot on this planet. "If I wanted uniforms I'd just kill you and take yours."  
  
Ok, so that wasn't actually the right thing to say. I caught a glare from Carth before he leapt into the fight.  
  
After defeating all three Sith, I followed up on my comment by taking a uniform. It just had to come in handy at some point.  
  
Before leaving the complex, we walked around and marked a few apartments as potentially abandoned. Continuing our exploration of the Upper City, we ran across an incredibly bored Sith standing in front of an elevator. Wondering where the elevator led to, I walked up to it, only to be stopped by the guard, who spoke as though he were reading from a script. "This elevator is off limits. Only Sith patrols and those with proper authorization are allowed into the Lower City. It's obvious from the way you're dressed that you're not one of the Sith patrols, so unless you have the authorization papers you must move along."  
  
Ah, so that's why the Tarisian underground wanted Sith uniforms. 


	3. Taris: Lower City

I get it now.  
  
Carth and I ducked into an abandoned apartment, specifically the one in which we fought the Sith, to change into our shiny new Sith armor.  
  
So now I understand why the Sith can't fight. This armor is inflexible. No, inflexible isn't a strong enough word. I can't move. And I can't breathe. And my chest is even flatter than it used to be. This armor must have been designed by a sadist. Not to mention that the Sith who voluntarily wear this must be masochists.  
  
And how do they see what they're shooting at with these helmets on? Well, I guess they don't shoot very well. I hear Carth grumbling under his breath; I'm happy to know that he's miserable as well. And to make it all worse, I'm getting hungry.  
  
As we walk down the street, everyone gives us a wide berth. It's rather neat, albeit disturbing.  
  
The incredibly bored Sith guard let us onto the elevator. I'm so glad he didn't ask us, well, anything, because I don't think I could have answered anything.  
  
The second the elevator doors close, I start peeling off the damn Sith armor, as does Carth. By the time we reach the Lower City, we're back to our normal clothing, and the Sith armor, which was surprisingly compact, had been stashed in our packs.  
  
Our welcome to the Lower City consisted of walking in on a gang fight and then being attacked by the three winners. Gritting my teeth, I pulled out a pair of blasters and started shooting. Carth took a significantly more direct route and leapt at them with vibroblades.  
  
Ok, some levity was required here. "Hey, Carth, is this a good time to ask you some more questions?"  
  
Shooting me a quick look that suggested I should ask Zelka for a mental health evaluation, he responded between slashes. "I'm all ears, beautiful."  
  
I ducked a blaster bolt and responded with one of my own. "I like the sound of that."  
  
Bringing blades up to block, he smashed his right elbow into his attacker's face. "Which? The fact that I'm all ears or the beautiful part?"  
  
Giving up on his blaster, one attacker decided to rush me with a vibroblade. Sighing, I pulled out my vibroblades. "The beautiful part. Keep calling me that."  
  
Carth smirked as he defeated his opponent. "I might consider it. What are you going to call me in exchange?"  
  
I kicked my attacker in the knee, temporarily disabling him. Giving Carth a sunny grin, I responded, "how about handsome thug?"  
  
Carth chuckled as he took on the third and last gang member. "I like the first part of that. I'm a bit more partial to 'the most handsome pilot in the galaxy'. What do you think?"  
  
I took out my opponent quickly. "I think I'm going to be ill."  
  
Surveying the carnage, Carth lost his sense of humor. "Are these questions really necessary?"  
  
I rolled my eyes at him as I looted the bodies. "Don't be such a child. It's just a few questions."  
  
He just stood and glared at me. "Oh, how can I resist a challenge to my manly pride? Fine, you've made your point. Interrogate at will."  
  
I couldn't help it. "Are you getting testy again?"  
  
"I don't get testy. I get angry. And if I was angry, you wouldn't have to ask me if I was, let me assure you." I ducked as he waved his bloody vibroblades around with his anger. Once he noticed this, he re-sheathed them and continued speaking in a somewhat calmer voice. "Let me ask you something first, though. I've been going through the battle aboard the Endar Spire over and over in my head since we crashed. Some things just don't add up for me. Maybe you could tell me what happened, from your perspective."  
  
I was done looting. There was nothing particularly interesting anywhere. "I wasn't in a position to know what was going on, really."  
  
He sighed. "Neither was I, to tell the truth. I was onboard as an advisor for the most part." He looked both ways down the corridor and decided to go left, motioning for me to follow him. "The battle began so fast, it's anyone's guess as to what actually happened. I'm surprised that any of us are alive to talk about it. Come to think of it, it's more than a little surprising that you happen to be here, isn't it? Just what is your position with the Republic fleet, anyway?"  
  
How would I know? "Why? Are you accusing me of something?"  
  
He shrugged. "Not at all. I just think it's a bit odd that someone who got added to the crew roster at the last minute just happens to be one of the survivors."  
  
I can understand if he had a death wish for himself, but for me, too? "You'd rather I wasn't?"  
  
"Don't be ridiculous. You've more than proved yourself since the crash. We wouldn't have made it this far without you. But still..."  
  
My head was starting to hurt. "Are you implying I had something to do with the crash?"  
  
"No. Well, maybe. Don't get me wrong, it just seems odd that someone Bastila's party specifically requested to transfer aboard happened to survive."  
  
How does one get so paranoid? "It doesn't make any difference. Go ahead and be paranoid."  
  
He raised his voice, making me absolutely certain that he would manage to attract more attackers somehow. They'd just materialize out of the walls or something somehow. "I'm not trying to be paranoid. It's just that I learned a long time ago that something which looks like a coincidence probably isn't, especially when the Jedi are involved. The Jedi requested numerous things when they came on board. They practically took over the ship. Considering your connection to Bastila and the Jedi, whether you know it or not, your presence here seems a little convenient." I was getting the distinct impression that he didn't particularly like Jedi. "I'm probably wrong and this is probably nothing, I know. I learned a long time ago not to take things at face value, however. And I hate surprises."  
  
He hates surprises? How boring. "Shouldn't we be trying to work together?"  
  
"I am working with you. I'd be a fool not to. I'd also be a fool not to expect the unexpected."  
  
This is what he considers working together? Fascinating. "Are you always this suspicious?"  
  
He was starting to look very frustrated. It was rather amusing. "Look, it has nothing to do with you, personally. I don't trust anyone, and I have my reasons. And, no, I'm not going to discuss them. So can we just keep our mind on more important things?"  
  
I couldn't help myself. I had to pester him some more. "You haven't heard the last from me on this."  
  
"Alright, alright. You must be the most damned persistent woman I've ever met."  
  
Swallowing a laugh, I looked up and read the sign above the door next to us. "Javyar's Cantina." Well, at least that was a much more creative name than Upper City Cantina. However, it appeared to have the same layout, making me wonder if Javyar had hired the same architect as Upper City had.  
  
As we passed the pazaak table and started to enter the main room, Carth suddenly pulled me to a stop. I gave him a surprised glance, so he motioned to a conversation that was occurring near us.  
  
A short funny looking man was being pestered by a group of gang members.  
  
"Go away." Apparently his speech abilities were directly proportional to his height.  
  
The gang members were not amused. The Rodian spoke first. "Hey, you not talk like that. We just want say hi to big, bad bounty hunter Calo Nord!"  
  
A Twi'lek chimed in. "Nah, this can't be Calo Nord. He's supposed to be tough. This guy's nothing but a runt!"  
  
"One."  
  
"One? What that mean? You be funny, tough guy?" The Rodian didn't seem too bright; it was clear to me that he was warning them off.  
  
"You know who we are, Calo? We're members of the Black Vulkar gang! You don't want to be getting funny with us, tough guy." Ah, yes, arrogance helps here.  
  
"Two."  
  
"Me no understand. One? Two? Why he count? He trying to count how many of us is against him?" He really wasn't the smartest.  
  
"It's four against one, Calo. What do you think about those odds? Well? You have something more to say?" That was funny, because I counted three against one.  
  
"Three." With that, Calo tossed a grenade and then shot all the gang members. At least he was wonderfully helpful in removing some stupidity from the universe. Apparently satisfied with his violence, he turned and left the cantina.  
  
I turned to Carth. "I need food." If I didn't eat soon, I was going to die from starvation.  
  
He frowned at me. "We just ate recently."  
  
"Yeah, like that was enough." I headed towards the bar, where the bartender handed me a menu. Then I heard a much younger voice than I would have expected in the cantina.  
  
"I told you to leave me alone, so give me some space, Bug-eye. Your breath smells like bantha poodoo."  
  
A young Twi'lek girl was being harassed by a couple of Rodians. "Little girl should not be in bar. This no place for little girl. If little girl smart, she run away home now."  
  
"Who you calling a little girl, Chuba-face?" She was rather cute. And the fact that she thought of that as an insult was hilarious to me.  
  
"Little girl needs lesson in manners." Well, apparently they thought of it as an insult.  
  
"Just a sec, boys. Zaalbar, a little help here? I need you to rip the legs off some insects."  
  
The nearby Wookiee roared. "Mission - I'm busy. They just brought my food!"  
  
"Quit complaining... you can finish eating later. Besides, you need the exercise so get over here." I couldn't help it anymore. I had to laugh. This was priceless.  
  
The Rodians were sufficiently frightened. "We no want trouble with Wookiee. Our problem with you, little girl!"  
  
"You got a problem with me, then you got a problem with Big Z. So unless you want to take on my furry friend, I suggest you greenies hop on out of here." I had to get myself a Wookiee bodyguard.  
  
They had to get in a last word as they ran off. "Little girl lucky she has big friend."  
  
I turned to the barkeeper and ordered food. Deciding to talk to Mission, I walked to the table she was sharing with the Wookiee.  
  
Zaalbar was not amused. He immediately growled at me. "Why are you bothering us?"  
  
Mission was friendlier. She placed a hand on his arm to calm him. "Hey, relax Big Z. No need to be rude. Sorry about that, but Wookiees ain't much for conversation, you know? Say, I don't recognize you and I know pretty much everyone in the Lower City. You must be new down here. I guess that makes me and Big Z your official welcoming committee!"  
  
I smiled. I liked her spirit. It wasn't tarnished yet, unlike everyone else we'd met so far on the planet. Even Zaalbar, her apparently constant companion, seemed muted, but she was untouched. It was refreshing.  
  
Carth also liked her. Sitting down next to me, he complimented her, which was more than he'd done for me so far. "You showed a lot of guts dealing with those Vulkars, kid. You got a name?"  
  
She brightened at the compliment. "My name's Mission Vao and this big Wookiee is my best friend, Zaalbar. I'd offer to give you a tour, but the streets down here aren't safe. But if there's anything else you need."  
  
I took a sip of my drink and sat back in my chair. "So how do a Wookiee and a Twi'lek street urchin end up as best friends?"  
  
"We just kind of fell in together. It ain't easy on your own here in the Lower City - everyone's always looking to push you around."  
  
Carth seemed bitter. "So we noticed. Still, you seem like an odd pair."  
  
"When I met up with Zaalbar it seemed like a good match. I knew we could look out for each other. With my street smarts and his muscle, we make a great team." She was obviously holding something back, but I didn't want to push. Changing the subject, she brightened again. "If you want info on Lower Taris I'm the one to talk to! Davik, the Lower City gangs, I've even got the scoop on that bounty hunter Calo Nord!"  
  
I liked the service in this cantina. They brought my food out quickly. As I ate, Mission filled us in on various aspects regarding Davik, the Lower City gangs, and Calo Nord.  
  
Carth leaned over and whispered in my ear. "You could out-eat the Wookiee."  
  
I glared at him. "You compliment the kid and make fun of me. How charming."  
  
He smirked at me and leaned back in his chair. He opened his mouth to ask Mission a question, but never got the chance. Her attention span had worn off, and she was dragging Zaalbar off to explore elsewhere. I smothered a laugh. She had said her farewells while he was teasing me. He should have been paying more attention.  
  
I guess I'm boring to be near, because less than a minute after Mission left, Carth stood up and announced that he was going to go play some pazaak and made some horrible joke about needing more money to support my eating habits. Jerk. On the bright side, I got to eat in peace.  
  
Once I was done eating, I decided to get up, find Carth, and head towards the Hidden Bek base. Mission had hinted that Gadon, the leader of the Beks, as well as the rest of the Beks, were relatively friendly, and we could use as much help as possible. As I headed towards the pazaak area of the cantina, I noticed the bounty office.  
  
I stood in the doorway, debating whether or not to enter and talk to Zax, who I assumed was the big fat blob at the end of the room, when I noticed that everyone in the room had their eyes on a Twi'lek girl in a corner. I walked towards her out of curiosity, only to notice that she was currently engaged in conversation with a Twi'lek man. They were discussing her apparently failing audition. Since she didn't have a partner, he was uninterested, and she was becoming desperate.  
  
Without even thinking about it, I somehow found it necessary to help. "Maybe I could be your partner."  
  
Both looked at me in surprise. Both looked me up and down skeptically. So I wasn't shaped like the dancers he was obviously searching for. That didn't mean I couldn't dance. Although, in all fairness, I didn't actually know if I could dance. But since I seemed to have fighting skill and the ability to make my body do what I want it to, I figured dancing couldn't be that hard.  
  
The girl introduced herself as Lyn, then vocalized both her desperation and her skepticism. Assuring her that I was good enough to get her through the audition, she began teaching me various moves to be used. The steps consisted of combinations of arm and hip movements. At first, I wasn't entirely sure my hips could move like hers, but as I moved experimentally, I discovered that my hips were more limber than I had expected. After a few trial runs, I nodded at Lyn, signaling that I was ready.  
  
Fortunately for me, I actually WAS good enough to get her through the audition. I didn't trip or fall or anything negative. I started out dancing a small distance away from her, but as the audition progressed, I danced closer to her. We were gathering quite an audience. All activity had stopped in the bounty office, and all eyes were on us. Part of me wondered if I was going to get credits from the audience for this.  
  
Once Lyn was informed that her audition had gone well and she was now a member of the Starlight Entertainers, her entire demeanor changed. She went from desperate to conceited, and thanked me, in her own special way. "I'd give you a big hug, but you're a little beneath me now."  
  
Yeah, thanks. Forcing a smile, I replied, "You're welcome." It's the thought that counts.  
  
"Oh, if you're every traveling and see the Starlight Entertainers performing, stop by and ask for me, and I'll try to get you some free tickets."  
  
Won't that be a kick. "Good luck, Lyn."  
  
She bounded out of the room, following the Twi'lek man. Shaking my head, I picked up my pack and turned to leave, finding that our audience had cleared and everyone was back to business as usual. And then I noticed Carth.  
  
He was leaning against the doorframe, grinning at me. "I just keep learning new things about you."  
  
Great, more teasing. I can do it too. Taking a deep breath to help me keep a straight face, I walked up to him slowly. I pushed myself up onto my toes and pressed as much of my body into his as I could. I turned my head and put my lips right up to his ear and whispered, "You'd be surprised what I can do," making sure I breathed hot air onto his ear. I watched an involuntary shudder work its way up and down the back of his neck, then stepped away and left the room without looking back.  
  
After a few steps, it dawned on me that he wasn't following yet. I glanced back to find him still standing there staring at me. Making sure I didn't smile, I snapped my fingers at him. "Come on, Carth, let's go. We have work to do. Like visiting the Hidden Bek base."  
  
He started walking towards me. "Hidden Bek base?"  
  
I turned away from him and kept walking towards the door. "Yes. I want to discuss something with you."  
  
He caught up with me. "You do? Fair enough. What do you want to discuss?"  
  
"I want to talk about these issues you seem to have with me."  
  
He looked slightly annoyed. "I knew you wouldn't understand where I was coming from. Let me try to explain." He paused, clearly trying to string words together. "You're probably one of the most skilled women I've ever met. You've saved my butt more than once and I'm lucky you're here to help me, no question. But that doesn't mean I'm going to stop watching you or being wary. I'm just not built that way."  
  
"And what, exactly, are you watching me for?" I punctuated the question by looping an arm through his, leaning my chin on his shoulder, and knocking a hip into him.  
  
He chuckled as he regained his balance. "I don't know that, yet. Like I said before, it's probably nothing. But I've been betrayed before by people and I... well, it won't happen again, that's all."  
  
I couldn't help myself. "Of course it won't happen again if you never trust anyone."  
  
He was slightly apologetic. "Look... I'm not trying to insult you. This is just the way I am, no need to take it personally."  
  
Resisting my urge to call him a hairless Wookiee, I continued as though he hadn't spoken. "I'm beginning to wonder if you're even capable of trusting anyone."  
  
Ok, now he was annoyed. "Well, you can stop wondering. I'm not."  
  
I couldn't help it. I really couldn't. "You sure you don't want to talk about it?"  
  
He glared at me. "No, I don't want to talk about it."  
  
I smiled. "Just checking." We left the cantina and headed down the hall towards the Hidden Bek base. I disengaged myself from Carth and headed over to the lookout to talk her into letting us in.  
  
And why was there only one lookout anyway? Given how many Black Vulkars we'd already run into, they should either have no lookouts or a whole armada.  
  
"Hey, you can't just walk in here! This is the Hidden Bek base. How do I know you're not a Vulkar spy sent to kill Gadon Thek?"  
  
Yes, let's give your enemies ideas. "I need Gadon's help. I was told to speak to him."  
  
"A lot of people want to go inside and speak to Gadon. He's a hero of the common folk. But the days of the Hidden Bek's open door policy are gone. Between the Sith conquest and the Vulkar gang war Gadon has more enemies than he used to. We're being careful about who we let in now." Because you're somehow capable of keeping people out?  
  
"Maybe I could be an ally against all those enemies."  
  
She really didn't require much persuasion. Some lookout. "Well, we do need all the help we can get. And you don't look like you're with the Vulkars or the Sith." What exactly do Vulkars or Sith look like? "Besides, it's not like you can do anything to harm Gadon in the heart of his own base. Not with Zaerdra watching his back."  
  
Again with the giving enemies ideas stuff. Maybe they should better train their lookouts. I should suggest that to Gadon when I talk to him. I made sure to smile and be polite to the lookout as I walked by her. I didn't want to actually tell her what I thought of her lookout capabilities, as that would probably change her mind.  
  
As we entered the base, I wondered where Gadon was. I didn't have to wonder long, as he was pretty much the only person in the base who wasn't moving around much, not to mention his female Twi'lek shadow. He turned slightly towards us, which allowed me to see his eyes. They were strangely disconcerting, reminding me that he had been blinded, but that he apparently had been fortunate enough to receive ocular implants.  
  
The shadow spoke. "Hold it right there. Who are you and what is your business with Gadon?"  
  
He was a very calm man. "Calm down, Zaerdra. Nobody is going to try anything here in the middle of our own base. It would be a suicide mission." Well, he was also a very overconfident man.  
  
"You're too trusting, Gadon." I had to agree. "Brejik and his Vulkars want you dead. Anyone we don't know is a potential threat, and it's my job to make sure you're safe!" I felt sorry for her; after all, she had to protect an overconfident leader.  
  
"Do you want us to start attacking strangers on sight, Zaerdra, like the Vulkars do? I will never let it come to that. Now step aside and let them pass." How does an idealist become the leader of a gang?  
  
She bowed her head slightly. "As you wish." Turning to us, her voice hardened. "You can speak to Gadon if you want, but I've got my eye on you. You try anything and you'll be vaporized before you can say 'Vulkar spy'." Charming woman, I'm sure.  
  
Gadon smiled at us apologetically. "You'll have to forgive Zaerdra. Ever since Brejik and the Vulkars began this war against us, she's been a little over-zealous in her security duties. The problems with the Sith haven't helped things. Zaerdra seems to forget that I know how to look after myself." Again with the overconfidence. "Now, how can I help you?"  
  
Problems with the Sith? Was he organizing a rebellion of some sort? "You have problems with the Sith?"  
  
That got him excited. "A foreign army invades Taris, declares martial law and locks down all travel to and from the planet? You damn well bet I have a problem with that. If the Sith ever moved in down here all the swoop gangs would unite against them. We'd use hit and run guerrilla tactics to pick them off. Their casualties would be enormous. But so far the Sith have stayed out of the Lower City and our strength is wasted on this stupid gang war. I tried to explain this to Brejik, but he and his Vulkars won't listen." Given what had just been said about the Vulkars, I had a really hard time believing they would unite against anything, even the Sith.  
  
Carth had unnecessary commentary. "Don't fool yourself. The Sith would never commit to that kind of operation. They'd probably do something much more grand and deadly." Yes, Carth, let's tell people who already live in the poor part of the city that they're not worth effort. That should make them want to help us.  
  
I had to change the subject. "I need information on those Republic escape pods that crashed in the Undercity."  
  
Suspicion flickered in his eyes. "The escape pods? You know, I heard the Sith have been asking around the Upper City about them as well... but you don't look like you're with the Sith." What, are we not ugly enough?  
  
Zaerdra had the right idea as she hissed at him. "They might be spies, Gadon. They might be working for the Sith."  
  
He waved a hand at her. "Calm down, Zaerdra. If the Sith thought we knew anything useful they'd have a battalion of troops kicking down our door. No, I think this offworlder has her own agenda." Well, he did have a point.  
  
Resisting the urge to roll my eyes, I felt the need to pointlessly reassure them. "Don't worry, I'm not working for the Sith." Because I'm not ugly enough or something.  
  
Gadon looked thoughtful for a few seconds, then shrugged. "I suppose I could tell you what I know. It's not like it could do any harm to me or my gang, but it might cause problems for the Vulkars, and that's okay in my book. The Vulkars stripped those pods clean within hours after they landed. It's too bad we didn't get there first, considering what my spies reported the Vulkars found. A female Republic officer named Bastila survived the crash. We Beks don't believe in intergalactic slavery, but the Vulkars aren't so picky. They took her prisoner."  
  
Carth looked extremely distressed, so I had to talk. "Bastila's a slave? What will happen to her now?"  
  
"Normally the Vulkars would take a captured slave and sell them for a nice profit to Davik or an off-world slaver. But a Republic officer is no ordinary catch." It disturbs me that the word "normally" can be used.  
  
Carth suddenly looked hopeful. "They still think Bastila is just a Republic Officer. That could work to our advantage. Maybe she'll even figure out a way to escape from the Vulkar base on her own."  
  
Gadon was a messenger of doom. "She's too valuable to leave with the Vulkar scum at the base. Brejik's probably got your Republic friend hidden away somewhere safe until the big swoop race. You'll never find her."  
  
Ok, too many topics at once. "Swoop race? What does that have to do with it?"  
  
At least Gadon had the grace to look apologetic. "I'm afraid your friend has become a pawn in Brejik's game to take over the Lower City. He's offered her up as the Vulkar's share of the prize in the annual swoop gang race. By putting up such a valuable prize Brejik hopes to win the loyalty of some of the smaller gangs. Their numbers will allow him to finally destroy me and my followers."  
  
I sighed. I knew what was coming next. Carth, however, was not so quick. "So how do you propose we go about rescuing Bastila, then? We can't fight all the gangs."  
  
Gadon confirmed my suspicions. "The only hope you have of rescuing Bastila is to somehow win the big season opener of the swoop race."  
  
This just got better and better. I wondered what was next. "So how do I enter this swoop race?"  
  
"I might be able to help you with this, if you'd be willing to help us. We both have something to gain here and much to lose."  
  
Oh, and here comes the next fun part. "What are you proposing?"  
  
"The swoop race is for the Lower City gangs only. I could sponsor you as a rider for the Hidden Beks this year. If you win the race, you'll win your friend's freedom. But first you have to do something for me. My mechanics have developed an accelerator for a swoop engine. A bike with the accelerator installed can beat any other swoop out there. But the Vulkars stole the prototype from us. They plan to use it to guarantee a victory in this year's swoop race. I need you to break into their base and steal it back."  
  
So that they can later accuse us of cheating them instead of using it to cheat us. Sounds like a wonderful plan, really. "And how exactly am I supposed to get inside their base?"  
  
"Getting into the Vulkar base won't be easy. The front doors are locked tight. But I know someone who might be able to get you in the back way – Mission Vao."  
  
And the wonder keeps coming. I'm supposed to use a kid to break into a gang base.  
  
Zaerdra must have had the exact same thought. "Mission? Gadon, you can't be serious! She's just a kid. How is she supposed to help them with this?"  
  
Now I see how he became the leader of a gang. "Mission's explored every step of every back alley in the Lower City. Plus she knows the Undercity sewers better than anyone. If anyone can get inside the Vulkar base, it's her." He turned to me. "She and her Wookiee friend Zaalbar are always looking to stir up a little excitement. They like to go exploring in the Undercity, despite the dangers. Your best bet is to look for her in the Undercity. But you'll need some way past the Sith guard post at the elevator."  
  
Knowing this was going to be a horrible thing to tell him, I told him, "I have Sith uniforms."  
  
He smirked. "A simple disguise might have worked on the Upper City guard, but the security down here is much tougher. You'll need the proper papers to get past him. Luckily my gang ambushed one of the Sith patrols headed down to the Undercity. They never made it, and their security papers fell into my hands. Since we're working together now I suppose I could give them to you in exchange for your uniforms. With the security papers you won't need a disguise anyway."  
  
I don't even know what he wanted to do with the uniforms, so I just agreed. The uniforms were horribly uncomfortable after all, and I really didn't want to ever wear it again. As I left, Gadon so nicely suggested that I hurry.  
  
The lookout pointed us toward the entrance to the Undercity, so we headed that direction. As we walked down the hallway, I saw an apartment complex. I had to know, so I dragged Carth into it.  
  
And I was right. It had the exact same layout as every other apartment complex we'd seen so far on this planet. I wondered if it was due to the lack of creativity on the part of the architects of the planet, or if circular layouts were simply indicative of Tarisian architecture.  
  
Looking into a room, I noticed a lockbox on the floor next to a desk. I walked towards it, wondering what was in it. After I deciphered and unlocked the box, Carth looked into the box over my shoulder and made a happy noise. Inside the box was Republic mod armor, which looked rather stiff, as well as Echani fiber armor, which looked rather comfortable. I took the Echani armor before he could even try to claim it.  
  
We left the complex and saw the entrance to the Undercity guarded by yet another bored Sith guard. I wondered if guard duty like this was a punishment. As we approached the guard, I noticed Carth put his hands close to the hilts of his vibroblades, probably in case Gadon's security papers failed.  
  
Fortunately, the guard gave the papers a cursory glance, then waved us through. He wished us luck with the rakghouls, and I could hear the relief in his voice that he didn't have to go with us. That was a great sign for the future. I couldn't help but wonder what fun was awaiting us in the Undercity. 


	4. Taris: Undercity

First, thanks for the reviews.

sammie teufel: here's more. enjoy. =)

gamorrean princess: since my Revan is based on my personality, I'm honored you find her priceless. =)

Krazed Kaioshin Fangirl: hey, that Bek lookout is worthless. what's she watching for? people to let in? =) thanks for sharing your other thoughts too. feel free to continue in the future. =)

Second, I'm supposed to be writing my thesis this semester, along with at least two other major writing projects, so I can't promise many updates. =(

* * *

Carth grumbled the entire elevator ride down. It was rather amazing, not to mention annoying. I wondered if the man was capable of not being unhappy. And if this ride went on much longer, I was going to have a claustrophobic panic attack. On the bright side, that might make me attack Carth, so he might shut up for a change.

The doors finally opened, which shut Carth up momentarily, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Which I regretted immediately, as the air down here was absolutely horrid. I made a mental note to take shallow breaths while here.

As we stepped out onto the ground, two men ran at us, shouting. "You there, up-worlder! Anyone using this elevator has to pay the toll!"

The second one joined in. "Yeah, this is our elevator. If you use it, you've got to give us something!"

Oh, good, they started Carth's grumbling again. Just what I was hoping for. "I don't believe this planet. Even the beggars are trying to shake us down."

The first one spoke again. "Five credits. That's what it costs to use our elevator. Five credits."

I rolled my eyes. "This is a public elevator." Well, sort of. "I'm not paying any toll."

The second one piped up this time, giving a whole new meaning to the word beggar. "Please, have pity on us. We have nothing. All we ask is a few credits to make our lives easier."

I glanced at Carth, who had turned away from the conversation and was grumbling to himself yet again. Wasn't he wonderfully helpful. I sighed. Five credits really wasn't going to make a difference to us, right? "Fine. Here's 5 credits. Please go away now."

They ran away with entirely too much excitement, discussing the numerous possibilities those credits would make on their lives. As I wondered about their level of delusion, I noticed a woman running up to us.

"I'm sorry about that. Those two beggars give everyone in the village a bad name. We aren't all like that, you know. Most of us are good people."

Carth felt the urge to speak. We were going to have to work on that. "I'm sure you are, miss. It's just too bad your little welcoming committee is there to give people a bad first impression."

Ok, he needed to stop talking, so I interrupted before he could say anything else. "My name's Shara. Who are you?"

She turned and smiled at me. "My name is Shaleena. You're from the up-world, aren't you? I've never seen it. I was born here in the Undercity. Is it as nice as they say up there?"

It really depends on your definition of nice. The air was marginally better. "It's nothing special."

She looked skeptical. "Not to you, I suppose. But you're probably used to its beauty by now. I've never been to the surface, but sometimes I think I can see it in my dreams. The sun, the sky, the stars... it all sounds so wonderful." I suppose if you've never seen those things, they would seem wonderful. "Gendar, the leader of our village, tells me I should spend more time trying to improve things down here and less time dreaming about something I can never have. Maybe he's right. You probably think I'm a fool, having dreams of a place I've never even seen. But when I was little, Rukil used to tell me stories of what it was like up there."

Ok, so I got from the rambling that Gendar was the leader of the village, if it could even be called that. But who was Rukil? "Rukil?" I braced myself for more rambling.

"Rukil's the oldest man in the village. The kids call him Rukil Wrinkle-Skin, but he's a kind man. He used to tell me the greatest stories when I was a little girl. I still like to listen to his tales about the Promised Land, even though I know they're just legends. But it helps to make the Undercity seem less... less dark, somehow."

That's the most interesting thing she's said so far. I wanted to talk to this guy. "Where can I find him?"

She looked thoughtful. "He's wandering around somewhere on the south side of the village. He doesn't move too far; it's hard on his bones. He's over 100 years old. The children laugh at him and people think he's crazy because of his stories about the Promised Land, but he's really just a kind old man."

That was enough info from her, actually. "Thanks. I'll be going now."

She looked supremely disappointed. "Oh. Ok. Well, if you ever need anything, or if you just feel like talking, come back and see me. I hardly ever get a chance to speak to someone from the up-world."

I really didn't need this hero worship. Neither did Carth. He got enough from the Republic troops.

As we headed towards the south end of the village, I noticed a distraught woman standing in front of a gate. I frowned. It clearly wasn't the gate out of the village, so I walked over to take a look.

The woman stopped me before I could get too close. "Wait, up-worlder. You can't go through this gate. There is too much danger and suffering beyond. For your own sake, turn back."

Well, that was melodramatic. "Danger and suffering? What are you talking about?"

She waved an arm at the gate. "The villagers infected with the rakghoul disease have been quarantined beyond this gate. At any moment they could be transformed into terrible monsters."

Carth said what I was thinking. "So you just lock them away in a cage?"

"For the sake of the village, we have to keep the infected ones locked away. And when they finally do transform into rakghouls we'll let them destroy each other."

Well, that did make perfect logical sense, even if it was a bit cold. "There must be something someone can do."

She sighed, looking completely defeated. "Nothing can be done for the infected villagers. Even the serum to counteract the rakghoul disease wouldn't be any use, now. Nobody would be foolish enough to risk going into the pens to give them the cure; the infected ones could transform into rakghouls and attack them at any moment."

Ok, that was a little too hopeless for my tastes. "So you'll just leave the infected ones to die?"

"I can't help the infected ones. They have to die so that the rest of the village can live. I accept this."

Not much of a healer, but her logic was sound. I pondered how depressing her job must be, having to watch her people die hopelessly, but it didn't make sense to me that she wouldn't fight harder for a cure, or convince people to dispense the serum somehow. They had weapons down here, right?

I realized that I was staring at her, so I gave her a quick nod and headed back on course.

We were approaching a tent with a man standing stiffly in front of it. This must be Gendar, the village leader. No one else looks this stiff; he must be doing it to look important. He called out to us. "Greetings, up-worlder. We rarely see your kind here in the Undercity. I find it strange that so many of you have come down from the surface recently."

Carth had to respond. "No offense, but I can see why people normally avoid this place."

Note to self: consider kicking Carth when he says dumb things.

Fortunately, Gendar was a forgiving man. "Why have you come into this dark and sunless place? Is there something you need of me or my village? I will help you however I can."

I asked the obvious questions. "Who are you people? Why do you live here in the Undercity?"

"We are the Outcasts - shunned from the surface for our crimes and banished here to the Undercity. We banded together to form this village that we might survive in this hostile environment. I am Gendar, the leader of this village: as my father was, and as was his father before him. Many of us have been here for generations, our ancestors cast down long ago. There is no return to the surface for us, or our descendants. But somehow we manage to survive amidst the filth and roaming bands of deadly rakghouls." Great, it's a prison colony. On the bright side, they seemed to be really friendly prisoners.

Carth spoke again. "What a horrible way to live." We really had to work on this. I kept myself from kicking him, for now at least.

"Life down here can be difficult. It can break the spirit. Many in the village have become bitter and hopeless. Especially those newly cast down. But life goes on, and we must try to make the best of what we have. And maybe someday we will find a better life."

Time to get down to business before schemes of grandeur hit Carth, or worse, me. "I'm looking for a Twi'lek named Mission Vao."

He nodded. "Yes, I have seen this Twi'lek many times, though I have never spoken to her. She and her Wookiee companion often pass through our village on their way to explore the sewers." I wondered how they get down here, anyway. Despite the boredom of the elevator guard, I couldn't imagine him letting them through.

"How can I get to the sewers?"

"There are two entrances into the sewers from the Undercity: one to the north-east of our village, the other to the south-east. But the sewers are dangerous, UpWorlder. If you dare to travel those dark tunnels you would be wise to go heavily armed, unless you wish to become a meal for the rakghouls and other foul creatures. Should you have need of anything else, come speak to me. I represent the entire village and I will do my best to help you however I can."

I was starting to like his helpfulness. I thanked him and turned to head towards the village exit, but was stopped by a ranting voice.

"You! You come from the world above! Is this the time of destiny, then? Is this a portent of the salvation of my people? Or merely another false sign to mislead us from the path? Are you the herald of prophecy? The beacon to guide us through the darkness? Or are you merely another harbinger of shattered dreams and unfulfilled promises?"

Carth leaned over and whispered in my ear. "Be careful. This one might be crazy enough to be dangerous."

Thanks Carth, you're so helpful. Before I could formulate a response, the ranting started again. "Speak to me, up-worlder! Tell me what fate you unleash upon us - salvation or damnation! Speak, up-worlder - I beg you!"

The first question I could come up with was incredibly stupid. "Could I ask you some questions?"

"A question. You are uncertain. Bewildered. Perplexed. Understandable, I suppose. Even after a hundred years of life I myself still become confused at times." I could imagine that. "Perhaps I can make things more clear. Some things, at least. My name is Rukil, the oldest Outcast here in the village. Rukil Wrinkle-Skin, the children call me sometimes."

This was Rukil? And here I thought he was the village idiot. No wonder people laugh at him. But Shaleena spoke highly of him, so I wonder what she saw in him. "I'm Shara. What do you want from me, Rukil?"

"Once I was honored for my wisdom, but over time the villagers fell away from the true path. Eventually there was only a single apprentice who followed me - and now she is gone, too."

"The true path?" This better not lead to a sales pitch.

"No, no, no. Not yet. I must be wary. Careful. You may be a false savior. Dare I share my secrets with you? No. Not until you prove yourself."

I started to take a deep breath, but remembered the lack of air quality, so I stopped myself. "And how can I prove myself?"

"My apprentice is lost. I sent her out into the Undercity to find... well, I cannot tell you. Not yet. Sadly, my apprentice has not returned. Please, up-worlder, will you help an old man? Will you seek out my apprentice in the Undercity? Her name is Malya. I must know of her fate, whatever it may be. I must know what she found."

My pessimism told me that she was dead, probably killed by rakghouls, which would be why she hasn't returned. But something told me not to actually say that out loud to him, so I simply agreed to help him.

"Finding her may be difficult; Malya could be anywhere in the Undercity, but if you find her I will know you to be our true savior! Only then can I reveal my secret knowledge to you."

I don't think I want to be a true savior. Although I guess that would be better than being a false savior. After promising to keep him updated on my progress, if there was any, Carth and I continued heading towards the village exit.

We convinced the guard to open the gate, then was attacked by rakghouls pretty much the second he closed the gate. I had to admit the guard had good timing.

I really didn't like those things. They looked like monsters out of a fairy tale, and smelled really bad too. And they had glowing green spit, which I assume contained the poison that caused rakghoul disease.

As we dispatched the last one, a blue ball of energy came barreling around the corner. "Please, you have to help me! Nobody else is going to help me. Even the Beks won't help me. But I can't just leave him there. He's my friend! You'll help me, won't you?"

I put my blasters away and rested my hands on her shoulders. "Slow down, Mission. What's wrong?"

She was hysterical, hyperventilating as she spoke. "It's Zaalbar. He's in trouble – big trouble! We have to help him. If we don't they'll sell him into slavery!"

I pulled her into a hug, making sure not to touch her lekku, and caught Carth smirking out of the corner of my eye. "Calm down. Take a deep breath." Well, actually, you might not want to do that, but it seemed like the right thing to say. She actually listened and took a few deep breaths, which did seem to calm her down somewhat. "What happened?"

Her breathing was pretty much under control, so she took a step back from me to talk. "Me and Zaalbar were just wandering around here in the Undercity. You know, looking for stuff we could find, just kind of exploring. We do it all the time."

"I guess with a Wookiee at your side you've got to figure you can handle the odd rakghoul attack." What was with Carth and his unnecessary commentary anyways? She was distraught enough.

Fortunately, she ignored him. "Only this time they were waiting for us. Gamorrean slave hunters. We didn't even have a chance to run. Big Z threw himself at them, and he roared for me to run. I took off; I figured Zaalbar would be right behind me. But there were too many of them. He couldn't get away. They're going to sell him to a slaver, I just know it!" She looked on the verge of hysteria again.

"Do you know where they took him?"

She shrugged. "I don't know for sure, but those Gamorreans like to hang out in the sewers. The stink reminds them of home, I guess. That's probably where they took Big Z." It can stink more than it does here? How insane.

Remembering that we were looking for her to show us into the Vulkar base, I had a question. "There's an entrance into the Vulkar base in the sewers, right?"

She was a smart girl. "If you help me get Big Z back, I'll show you a way into that Vulkar base."

Now there was a deal even Carth couldn't refuse. I nodded, and saw Carth doing so as well.

Her enthusiasm returned. "It's a deal. As soon as we get Big Z back, I'll show you a way into that Vulkar base. Now, come on. We have to find Zaalbar before they sell him to slavers or worse." I half expected her to grab me by the wrist and start dragging me towards the sewers.

"Do you know where he's being kept?" Apparently Carth wasn't listening to the entire conversation.

Mission was either smart enough to humor him or too distraught to remember that she had already answered that question. "The Gamorreans make their camps in the sewers. I bet that's where we'll find Zaalbar, and that's where I'll show you the secret entrance into the Vulkar compound."

As she turned and headed off towards what I assumed would be the sewer entrance, I noticed a Sith patrol walking towards us, so I grabbed Mission by the arm and pulled her behind me.

"You there! Civilian! This is a restricted area! What are you doing down here?"

Well, time to see how well these papers hold up. "I've got all the proper security papers." I reached into my pack to grab them, but the guard waved me to a stop.

"Security papers? Oh... you're one of those trackers the Commander sent down, right? They should have given you an armed escort – it's nasty down here! We've already lost one patrol. We figure the rakghouls got them. We've had so many encounters with those things we've actually run out of rakghoul serum. Plus we've had several skirmishes with looters from those Lower City swoop gangs. I'm telling you, we should just stay in the Upper City where we're in control!"

They've already lost one patrol? I wonder if that patrol had any serum left. "You said you lost one patrol already?"

Before I could finish asking where they were, he interrupted. "Oh, is that why you're down here? Search and rescue? I didn't think they would send anyone. They were in the southern section of the Undercity when we lost contact. I would have gone to investigate, but my orders are to search for those crashed escape pods, even if it means leaving another patrol to die." Sith soldiers were almost as talkative as Republic soldiers.

Ok, now to get rid of him so we could continue what we were doing. "You just follow your orders and keep looking."

"Hey, I'd never disobey my orders. I'm not a fan of court martials and executions." That would be the expected response for anyone with mental capacity. "I was just talking, you know? Nothing anyone has to mention to the Commander. Come on patrol, let's get back to it. The sooner we get this search done the sooner we can get out of this mutant infested hole. Move out!"

Good, they left. I turned to Mission and Carth and explained my thoughts. "Let's see if we can find that lost patrol before heading into the sewers. They might have some rakghoul serum leftover, so that'd be handy to have around. I assume there are rakghouls in the sewers?" Mission nodded. "He said south, so that way." I pointed in what was apparently the correct direction, since no one corrected me, and we headed that way.

We soon stumbled over a group of corpses, one still wearing Sith armor. Figuring that this was the lost patrol, I started looting. Mission looked disturbed, so she helped Carth keep watch.

Which was a really good thing to do, because the second my fingers wrapped around the rakghoul serum, Mission let out a scream, letting us know there were rakghouls around.

I really had to say that Mission was a wonderful shot. She may not have a very powerful blaster, and she may not have done much damage, but she very rarely missed. I made a mental note to get her a better gun.

Once we dispatched the rakghouls, she led us towards the nearest sewer entrance. On the way there, we were once again interrupted, this time by a very nervous man.

"Don't... don't move! I'm... I'm not afraid to use this blaster if I have to!"

A very large man turned around. I could almost hear him rolling his eyes. "Settle down, kid. We've already lost enough men to those damn rakghouls! The last thing we need now is more casualties from a needless firefight." He turned to me and looked me up and down. "Hm. By the looks of you I'd say you're down here for the same reason we are: to salvage something from those downed Republic space pods. Let me give you some advice: forget about it. Do yourself a favor and just head back the way you came."

Who was this guy anyway? "Are you threatening me?"

He somehow puffed himself up. "Mandalorians don't make threats, we make promises. But I'm just trying to give you a friendly warning. This isn't a good place to stand around chatting. The Undercity is crawling with rakghouls. I've already lost half a dozen men to those monsters."

What a wonderful time to bring that up, because immediately after he said that, the very nervous man started chattering again. "Canderous, I heard something! Over there, in the shadows! Sounded like a rakghoul!"

Canderous hefted his unnecessarily huge gun. "Looks like we've got company! Get those blasters ready, boys!"

I leaned over and whispered to Mission. "Who's he?"

She looked nervous about talking with rakghouls so near, but she replied. "Canderous Ordo. He works for Davik."

We ended up helping Canderous and his useless crew fight off the rakghouls. He was not happy. The very nervous man lay dead near his feet. "Damn! I told Davik this salvage mission was a bad idea. His men aren't trained for this kind of thing, and I can't babysit them all. Okay, boys. We're getting out of here before I lose anyone else. I can't carry all this salvage back by myself." What a great reason not to lose anyone else. "You'd be smart to get out of here as well. Even if you can handle the rakghouls I doubt there's anything worth finding anymore."

"What does that mean?"

"Davik sent me down here with this motley crew to scavenge whatever we could from the Republic escape pods that crashed during the recent battle overhead. But the Lower City gangs got here first. Anything worthwhile in those Republic pods is probably in their hands now. Davik won't like that." He turned back to his men before I could even think of responding. "Come on boys, let's move out."

I thought it was interesting that although he was the largest, clearly strongest man in the group, he carried the least. His unnecessarily huge gun probably weighed a ton though.

As soon as they were out of sight, Mission started us towards the sewers again. On the way, I looted a few more bodies, this time finding the body of Rukil's apprentice. She had a journal, so I shoved it into my pack, and made a mental note to talk to Rukil next time we passed through the village.

Mission stopped in front of a nondescript looking gate, indicating that this was the entrance to the sewers. As we climbed down the ladder, I made yet another mental note to invest in a gas mask or something that might allow me to breathe without gagging. Face it, we were voluntarily going into a sewer of a rather polluted planet. This just couldn't end well.

After turning a few corners in the sewers, we ran into a few Gamorreans. I never thought I'd see someone be excited to see Gamorreans, but Mission was positively bouncy at the sight of them, despite the fact that we needed to fight them.

Gamorrean intelligence is inversely proportional to their size. It's rather fascinating. We dispatched a room full of them with absolutely no problem at all.

As I looted, Carth stood guard in the hall, and Mission ran up to a door, fascinated and excited. "Hmm. Look at this. This is one of those old style manual locks. No computer codes or nothing. The sewers is the only place you'll see one of these on Taris. You can't use conventional security spikes on these old locks, but don't worry. I've come across them before. I've rigged up a little device that should do the trick."

4e

The door squeaked open to reveal a rather weary looking Wookiee. He sighed. "You're a sight for sore eyes, Mission." I was amazed once again by the nature of his language.

She practically flew at him, wrapping her arms as far around him as she could, and mumbled into his fur, sounding somewhat teary. "I'm glad to see you too, Big Z! You didn't think I'd forget about you – Mission and Zaalbar, together forever!"

Probably wanting her to untangle herself from him, Zaalbar waved a hand at us. "Who's that with you?" Apparently he wasn't paying attention when we met in the cantina.

Mission pulled herself away from him and smiled at us. "These are my new friends, Big Z. Without them I never could have got you out."

Something in me told me that formality would be appropriate here, so I gave him a slight bow. "Good to meet you, Zaalbar. I'm Shara Yun."

He bowed back to me. "You know the language of my people? That is rare among your species; I am impressed. You have saved me from a life of servitude and slavery. There is only one way I can ever repay such an act: I will swear a lifedebt to you."

Mission looked shocked. "A lifedebt? Are you sure?"

He rumbled back at her. "I am sure, Mission. This is an issue of great importance to me. Because of our great physical strength, Wookiees are being used as slave labor on our own homeworld. They see us as brutes and animals to be exploited. Over the years slavers have taken many of my people; we must always be on guard against raids against our villages. When the Gamorreans captured me, I thought I was doomed to a life of servitude. I have been saved from such a fate, and the only way I can repay that is through a lifedebt."

Mission turned to me, still amazed. "Big Z swearing a Wookiee lifedebt to you. Wow - this is major. Do you realize what this means?"

It was clear to me that a lifedebt was one of the most sacred vows a Wookiee could ever make, but I really needed the explanation to be sure. "It's some sort of loyalty vow, right?"

"A lifedebt is the most solemn vow a Wookiee can make. It means he'll stay by your side for the rest of your life. Wherever you go, whatever you do, Zaalbar will be with you."

Apparently I was getting that Wookiee bodyguard I wanted after all. I can't actually say that I wanted him to follow me around for the rest of my life, but it was obviously of great importance to him, and I wasn't about to argue with a Wookiee, so I nodded my understanding.

Upon noticing my understanding, Zaalbar straightened up, something I wasn't sure he could even do given how tall he already was, and started reciting the vow. "In the presence of you all I swear my lifedebt. Forever after I will be by your side, Shara Yun. May my vow be as strong as the roots of the great wroshyr trees of Kashyyyk."

I bowed my head at him. "I'm honored to accept your vow, Zaalbar." Part of me wondered if he was going to make a similar vow to Carth, who also participated in his rescue, but then I realized that it'd be very difficult for him to physically fulfill a lifedebt to more than one person.

Mission piped up. "I guess this means you're stuck with me too."

That's what I had figured anyways. "I'm glad to have you aboard, Mission."

She gave me a slightly nervous smile. "I guess I still owe you one secret path into the Vulkar base. That was the deal, wasn't it? Don't worry, I know a backdoor into that scum den!"

I really didn't feel the need to bring her along. "Just tell me how to get there."

She wasn't going to take any of that. "I better come with you - the Vulkars put up a force shield to keep the sewer dwellers out. I'm one of the only non-Vulkars on Taris who can get you past it. I can't remember exactly how to get there, but I know it was somewhere here in the sewers. Over to the northeast, if I remember right. I just hope the rancor monster isn't still there."

Carth overheard that one. "Rancor? Are you serious?"

Mission nodded. "There used to be a rancor monster that made its nest in that part of the sewers. Pretty much eats anything it can get its claws on. That thing is huge! Luckily rancors aren't too bright. I was able to sneak past it before, so I'm sure we'll figure something out. That is, unless you want to change your mind."

I sighed. I was not about to deal with a rancor and traipse through an enemy base on an empty stomach. "How about this: why don't we go back to the apartment, restock, eat, get some rest, and then come back?"

Carth smirked. "Sounds good."

As we turned to leave, another door opened and more Gamorreans spilled out. Zaalbar hadn't had time to find a weapon yet, so he fought them empty-handed while the rest of us used our weapons. Once the Gamorreans were dispatched, Mission ran over to a footlocker and picked the lock. She let out a gasp as it opened.

"Big Z, it's your bowcaster!"

He let out a satisfied howl at seeing his weapon again, and grabbed for it. However, I had a better idea. That Wookiee strength would be better served with blades than the bowcaster. I gave him a vibroblade, Mission gave him her vibroblade, and she took the bowcaster. That seemed fair. She was an excellent shot, she just needed a better weapon.

I wondered how I was going to get past the Sith guards with a Wookiee in tow, even with my invincible security papers. Oh well. We'd just have to wait and see.


End file.
